Thunder Bay & District Entrepreneur Centre
The Thunder Bay & District Entrepreneur Centre is funded through a partnership between the Province of Ontario and the City of Thunder Bay. We exist to offer free and confidential small business counselling services to both new and existing small businesses.
Our services vary from providing information on various business topics to one-on-one consultation with a Small Business Counsellor.
We also offer:
- Various Small Business Seminars
- Guides and information packages specific to starting a business in Northwestern Ontario
- Information on government programs and services and other financial programs
- Assistance with preparing a business plan
- Referrals to various agencies or resources
Summer Company
If you're between 15 and 29 years old, you can apply to Summer Company, a program designed to help enterprising young people start up and run their own summer business. For more information on Summer Company please visit their website www.summercompany.ca
Summer Company 2013 – Deadline extension
We are very pleased to announce that additional spaces/awards have been made available for Summer Company 2013.
The deadline date for students to apply to the program is being extended to Monday, June 3rd. We strongly encourage you to get your applications/business plans in as soon as possible. Don’t delay just because the deadline changed.
To accommodate this change, we will now be accepting applications/business plans on a "first come, first served" basis.
GUIDES, PROGRAMS, SERVICES AND RESOURCEFUL LINKS:
Starting a Business Guide
Starting a business can be very rewarding, but also time consuming and labour-intensive. Before you start researching, obtaining sources of funding, finding a location and completing all of the other tasks necessary to open a business, you’ll probably want to know if you possess the typical characteristics of a successful entrepreneur.
Business Plan Guide 
Adobe PDF, 40 pages, 1.94 MB
Business Plan Guide - French Adobe PDF, 40 page, 2.54 MB
Ontario Network of Entrepreneurs (ONE)
Its goal is for Ontario businesses to benefit from the excellence delivered by the new expanded, collaborative network of entrepreneurship and innovation expertise.
Visit the ONE website at www.ONEBusiness.ca / www.entrepriseROE.ca where Ontario’s entrepreneurs can locate their closest ONE expert, find online resources and more information about programs and services.
Ontario Business Program Guide
Is the Ontario government’s free, online directory of tax incentives, tax credits and government support programs for business. For more information on the Ontario Business Program Guide please visit their website www.ontario.ca/businessprograms.
Thunder Bay Chamber of Commerce Small Business Resource Guide
The website has been developed to assist Chamber members with information and resources that they may find useful in starting and managing their business. For more information on the Small Business Resource Guide please visit their website www.businessresourceguide.ca.
The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF)
The Canadian Youth Business Foundation (CYBF) is a national charity dedicated to growing our nation’s economy one young entrepreneur at a time. We look at character not collateral, when providing youth, age 18-34, with pre-launch coaching, business resources, start-up financing and mentoring, to help them launch and sustain a successful entrepreneurial business. For more information on CYBF please visit their website www.cybf.ca.
Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation
We encourage and support businesses of all sizes, and help them innovate and compete in today’s fast-changing global economy. For more information please visit their website www.ontario.ca/economy.
The Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation (NOHFC)
The NOHFC Young Entrepreneur program aims to mobilize a new generation of entrepreneurs and community builders in the North, securing a more prosperous future for tomorrow’s northern families and workers. For more information on NOHFC please visit their website www.mndm.gov.on.ca.
The Thunder Bay Public Library
The Library is here for YOU as a business person!
Our mission is to strengthen the community, and that includes local businesses. For more information on the Thunder Bay Public Library please visit their website www.tbpl.ca.
Northern Ontario Enterprise Gateway (NOEG) is the premier organization in the North created to stimulate increased investment by Northern Ontario investors into Northern Ontario companies. This is accomplished by improving the flow of investment capital and management expertise into high-growth-potential northern companies through the creation of angel investor groups. For more information on NOEG please visit their website www.noeg.ca.
The Thunder Bay & District Entrepreneur Centre
Suite 201, 34 Cumberland Street North
P.O. Box 800
Thunder Bay, Ontario
Canada P7C 5K4
Stacia Kean, Development Officer
Phone: (807) 625-3972
Toll Free: 1-800-668-9360 (North America)
Fax: (807) 623-3962
Email: EntrepreneurCentre@thunderbay.ca
Website: www.ThunderBayCEDC.ca
